£18k for a gearbox? - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Mate of mine, has a pukka Porsche warranty on his 981 Boxster, just had a PDK failure and ‘needs’ a new gearbox. He was told by the service staff (Porsche Hatfield, I presume) that without a warranty he’d be paying £18,000. This is the same dealership that told me (10 years ago) that the 2008 Boxster I’d chopped in for a 911 a month before had needed a new engine at a more credible £8500 a week after they sold it. Are these just stories to frighten children, or the real deal and a cautionary tales for the unwarranted (and yes, independents are cheaper, I know that, the question isn’t do you *have* to pay that much, it’s whether the OPC’s are taking the piss - potentially out of Porsche UK, given it was just an oil leak)? Edited by thenobbler on Friday 28th January 19:10

Dual clutch gearboxes are incredibly complicated, full of high precision hydraulics and components, the R8 one is £38k Not from my knowledge (way beyond me) but this video from REP explains a great deal, albeit the Audi version. If anyone knows the ins and outs it's Mr. Elder.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CWmbGA-yxo

I wonder how / who is going to fix all these complex cars when they become classics? I know historically the indy’s have always found a way, however, there are only a couple of places I’d take my 996 manual box for refurb which would be a £3-4k bill when / if needed. And thats just metal bits that needs some specialist tools - no electronics bar the reverse light switch! I do wonder if there is a manufacturing date threshold whereby certain prestige car values will fall off a cliff (or get broken for the bits that still work!)

There are companies that now fix/repair PDK gearboxes. Porsche are not 'repairers', their answer is to swap the part out for a factory new one. They don't 'fix' anything simply replace parts. £18k sounds excessive, I did hear they were £12k a few years back, As cars get older Independent garages adapt and tailor their services. For example the Bentley GT requires an engine out to replace the hydraulic lines on the top of the transmission. It's no surprise that one Independent has figured out how to do it without taking the engine out. If you look in the 'aquaplaned Boxster' thread there is reference to a repairer for PDK gearboxes.

Armitage.Shanks said: There are companies that now fix/repair PDK gearboxes. Porsche are not 'repairers', their answer is to swap the part out for a factory new one. They don't 'fix' anything simply replace parts. £18k sounds excessive, I did hear they were £12k a few years back, As cars get older Independent garages adapt and tailor their services. For example the Bentley GT requires an engine out to replace the hydraulic lines on the top of the transmission. It's no surprise that one Independent has figured out how to do it without taking the engine out. If you look in the 'aquaplaned Boxster' thread there is reference to a repairer for PDK gearboxes. Absolutely and he paid £1200 I think.

I’ve quizzed an OPC on this, and was told between £7-9k for a 981 PDK gearbox, and £18k for a 3.4 crate engine fitted.

Keep paying those warranty premiums…

If you were out of warranty you’d get a repair or a used part fitted in the independent network. You’d be mad to bring it to an OPC.

They can be repaired in 99% of the cases. There are quite a few companies specialising in dct gearbox repairs. Only the stealerships/lazy indies insist on new replacements.

Well there is a guy on one of the Merc forums just been quoted over £12k by Mercedes to replace the hybrid battery on his C350e hybrid which has effectively written the car off. He has also been told by the Independants that Mercedes is the only option for supply of the battery. And that is for a battery that is giving an electric only range of around 7- 11 miles in the winter months, based on the real life experience of many posters. And that's only the small hybrid battery, dread what to think they will charge for the battery pack on a fully electric car. Makes an £18k gearbox seem quite a bargain.

Monkeylegend said: Well there is a guy on one of the Merc forums just been quoted over £12k by Mercedes to replace the hybrid battery on his C350e hybrid which has effectively written the car off. He has also been told by the Independants that Mercedes is the only option for supply of the battery. And that is for a battery that is giving an electric only range of around 7- 11 miles in the winter months, based on the real life experience of many posters. And that's only the small hybrid battery, dread what to think they will charge for the battery pack on a fully electric car. Makes an £18k gearbox seem quite a bargain. In full EVs there’s a minimum 8 year battery warranty in Europe and the UK

Monkeylegend said: Well there is a guy on one of the Merc forums just been quoted over £12k by Mercedes to replace the hybrid battery on his C350e hybrid which has effectively written the car off. He has also been told by the Independants that Mercedes is the only option for supply of the battery. And that is for a battery that is giving an electric only range of around 7- 11 miles in the winter months, based on the real life experience of many posters. And that's only the small hybrid battery, dread what to think they will charge for the battery pack on a fully electric car. Maybe that is true of some early hybrids but certainly not all of them or EVs for that matter. In the case of Tesla, the battery is made up from untold separate cells, they run a diagnostic, pick out the duff cells, drop the battery, replace just the faulty ones and put it back up. Not suggesting it is a two minute or cheap job but it isn't like you bin an old Duracell AA and stick another one in. Lexus hybrid batteries do the same thing on a smaller scale. No idea what other manufacturers do but I doubt it will be any different otherwise once it gets leaked by No10 they won't be selling any cars.

Lexington59 said: Keep paying those warranty premiums… I take what I read on here with a pinch of salt but I don't doubt there is a subliminal message sent out by OPCs that staying in the OPC warranty loop provides some peace of mind, and it does/works. I spent decades in the motor game and still know loads of people in it, any normal auto I would have a choice of people to go to, a PDK, none that I know personally. Obviously that does not mean they don't exist but what it does mean is I would be going to them blind and from past experience that generally ends badly. Not a position I would like to find myself in, so I am in. OPC 1 - Wallet 0

Monkeylegend said: Well there is a guy on one of the Merc forums just been quoted over £12k by Mercedes to replace the hybrid battery on his C350e hybrid which has effectively written the car off. He has also been told by the Independants that Mercedes is the only option for supply of the battery. And that is for a battery that is giving an electric only range of around 7- 11 miles in the winter months, based on the real life experience of many posters. And that's only the small hybrid battery, dread what to think they will charge for the battery pack on a fully electric car. Makes an £18k gearbox seem quite a bargain. I believe the batteries in cars with mild hybrid systems are also expensive to replace as some are lithium batteries...something like £3k.

Grantstown said: In full EVs there’s a minimum 8 year battery warranty in Europe and the UK This might be a silly question as I know Zero about these batteries. Could they be damaged by a faulty charger? And then warranty voided? Or water ingress?

Annoyingly its well worth having opc warranty on these modern cars in my experience.

Just thinking logically, which is dangerous sometimes. If the whole car costs between £80 and £160,000is it unreasonable for the gearbox to cost £18k ?

David W. said: Just thinking logically, which is dangerous sometimes. If the whole car costs between £80 and £160,000is it unreasonable for the gearbox to cost £18k ? Maybe not but I can see how it might be a problem on a £25k PDK car and there are some out there.

981Boxess said: aybe not but I can see how it might be a problem on a £25k PDK car and there are some out there. Yes totally get that.

Desert Dragon said: Annoyingly its well worth having opc warranty on these modern cars in my experience. That said I don't think extended warranty includes the hybrid or EV battery once it passes the 8yr guarantee period.

David W. said: Just thinking logically, which is dangerous sometimes. If the whole car costs between £80 and £160,000is it unreasonable for the gearbox to cost £18k ? Turn it the other way around. What would a new car be worth in bits ? You then have your answer. As for £18k for a box, that depends upon whether or not it is your 'Box and whether or not you want to / can afford to pay this ? If not, the OPC says no, which should be suboptimal for Porsche ... but maybe good for the indies !

Armitage.Shanks said: Desert Dragon said: Annoyingly its well worth having opc warranty on these modern cars in my experience. That said I don't think extended warranty includes the hybrid or EV battery once it passes the 8yr guarantee period. That and a duff cell can cause havoc within what would otherwise be a good battery ... but who will sort this at a sensible price ? I had a 2014 i3 which I sold last year for this reason ... I invited BMW to live up to their promise of a replacement battery / motor / electronics around the existing very expensive carbon fibre chassis and interior, but they just said, buy another. I even offered them the power bank / battery replacement option, but they said no. So what defines a modern classic that could be a nightmare ? Anything with a fly by wire throttle onwards ?

Hi just checked cost of pdk box,on Partslink 24.There are 4 exchange options,all around £6250. The cost of new box is around £13k. Chris

Porschekiduk said: Hi just checked cost of pdk box,on Partslink 24.There are 4 exchange options,all around £6250. The cost of new box is around £13k. Chris £13k makes up over 32% of the cost for a base model Boxster with PDK back in 2012. It's a ridiculous cost for a part, and no doubt Porsche are making a ridiculous mark up on it.

Nissan are the same with the GT-R. If something breaks in the gearbox, a Nissan main dealer (NHPC), will not repair it, because the official line is that there are no servable parts within the box. Therefore, all they will do in replace the box, at £22k (and that was the price around 7 years ago now, so I'm sure it's gone up somewhat now). Therefore, they will not even replace the clutch; worn clutch = new gearbox, according to Nissan. Thankfully there a number of specialists that will open it up and replace the broken bits. My Gearbox sheered a shift fork, and it was a few grand to fix, but it was a hell of a lot less than £22k from Nissan.

And the GT-R was a problem on circuit for this reason.

Ah, Porsche gearboxes. I had a 996 C4S Tiptronic (I know, I know). Gearbox started leaking oil prodigiously. Porsche E. London “that gearbox is not serviceable, needs a new ‘box (which I think was £9k at the time). Took it to 9 Excellence near Gatwick who told me that it could be fixed by renewing the seals at a cost of about £25 quid plus labour. Which is what they did.

I recall that Wheeler Dealers episode where Mike bought a Boxster for a grand as the gearbox was knackered. All it needed was fresh transmission oil. If a PDK box fails it's going to be a few component parts needing replacement, and someone who knows what they're doing. There's always a specialist for everything, especially here in the UK where engineering is the best in the world.

DJMC said: I recall that Wheeler Dealers episode where Mike bought a Boxster for a grand as the gearbox was knackered. All it needed was fresh transmission oil. If a PDK box fails it's going to be a few component parts needing replacement, and someone who knows what they're doing. There's always a specialist for everything, especially here in the UK where engineering is the best in the world. There's a link to a PDK specialist in ATM's "Aquaplaned" thread. The company repaired his 981 transmission, we're waiting for an update on the outcome of the repairs he had undertaken by them.